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Jobs, school, home life and societal obligations can pull a person in many directions. Throw a pandemic in the mix and life for many people becomes even more stressful. Sometimes too much stress can trigger a mental health crisis.

In a crisis a lot of people call 911. More often than not, many people don't know where to go to get mental health services. Daicia Price, LMSW, Assistant Clinical Professor of Social Work at the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor and consultant for the Detroit Wayne Integrated Health Network (DWIHN),wants to change that.

DWIHN has a 24-hour mental health helpline, 1-800-241-4949 for Wayne County residents.

Price said the onset of COVID lead to a recognition that a lot of people "were definitely having some psychosocial and emotional challenges specifically due to COVID." A virtual therapy line called Reach Us Detroit was created in collaboration with some of DWIHN funders. The purpose is to support ****youth and families who need brief interactions and therapies for mental health issues related to COVID. Anyone who lives, works or worships in Wayne County can access the Reach Us Detroit line by calling or texting 313-488-HOPE.

Services are available for children and families as well as individuals that are 14 years old and up (due to consent).

"Just like your physical health is things that are happening within your body, mental health is anything associated with your feelings, thoughts, behaviors, attitude, any of those things. So anytime that you have a feeling, behavior or thought that is interrupting your ability to live laugh and love, is when we would say that is probably a mental health crisis," says Price.

The DWIHN homepage, https://www.dwihn.org has a "Take a Screening" button, which individuals can click to take a free, anonymous online mental health screening. The screening is to access if they need to talk to someone about their mental health concerns.

Another resource available on the DWIHN website is "myStrength." It is a tool a participant can use to "Recharge, Refresh and Improve Your Mood." Additional information can be found by clicking the "MyStrength" link on the bottom of the DWIHN website.

DAICIA PRICE - LMSW, Assistant Clinical Professor of Social Work at the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor

Price said the call volume to 313-488-HOPE for people older than 14 years old, jumped about ten-fold from the onset of COVID in spring 2020. This occurred when unemployment benefits were cut, workers returned to onsite jobs and students returned to school.

DWIHN offers mental health services for all ages including infants and their caregivers.

Every Michigan county has a Community Mental Health Services Program and 24/7 mental health hotline number. More information is available on the State of Michigan's Department of Health & Human Services website https://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs/. Click on the "Keeping Michigan Healthy" tab.

Once you find your 24/7 mental health hotline number; share it on social media; add it to your phone; keep it with your important telephone numbers; have conversations with your friends and family. These are some suggestions to help spread awareness about available mental health fitness tools. May is Mental Health Wellness Month in the United States.